Olive Oil Recipes

Chef Dorian Shows Us How to Fry Chicken in Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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Think you can’t fry chicken in extra virgin olive oil? Think again.

When we heard that Chef Dorian Hunter — winner of MasterChef Season 10 — prefers to make her Southern fried chicken in extra virgin olive oil, we had to get the recipe to share with you!

She says it delivers the best flavor and crunch. Yes, it costs a little more than other oils, but Chef Dorian insists the results are worth it.

The Myth: You Can’t Fry in Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Home cooks in America are often misled into believing that extra virgin olive oil isn’t suitable for frying — that it can’t handle the heat or will break down too quickly. If you have a grandmother from the Mediterranean, you know this is wrong.

But you don't need to take nonna's word for it. Research shows that this myth is based on a misunderstanding of how cooking oils actually behave. Studies comparing common cooking oils have found that extra virgin olive oil is one of the most stable oils when heated — even outperforming many seed oils typically used for frying.

Much of the confusion comes from an overemphasis on smoke point — the temperature at which an oil begins to visibly smoke.

Chef Dorian keeps her oil between 320–350°F, noting that the smoke point of extra virgin olive oil is “plenty high” for frying chicken.

We agree, and so does the USDA. which includes olive oil among the oils it recommends for deep frying. The truth is that smoke point is less important than other factors in determining the stability of an oil when you cook with it:

The oil’s fatty acid composition
Its level of refinement
Its antioxidant content

Extra virgin olive oil performs well when heated because it is:

High in monounsaturated fats (especially oleic acid)
Low in polyunsaturated fats (which oxidize easily)
Rich in antioxidants

These qualities help protect the oil from breaking down when heated.

Why Chef Dorian Chooses Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Chef Dorian prefers extra virgin olive oil for three reasons:

1. Flavor and Crunch
It produces a crisp, golden crust and rich flavor that enhances the chicken.

2. Heat Stability
Its natural antioxidants and fatty acid profile help it stay stable during frying.

3. Worth the Cost
There are cheaper oils out there, but the flavor and quality payoff make EVOO worthwhile. It works out to around $1 more per piece of chicken (and don't forget you can always reuse the oil afterwards).

Chef Dorian’s Southern Fried Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

8 pieces of chicken (about 3–4 lbs)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbs Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 Tbs Traeger All-Purpose Seasoning ("The Anything Rub")
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
3 cups of extra virgin olive oil for frying

Instructions

Pat chicken dry.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Season with half the seasonings, then mix the chicken, making sure all pieces are covered.
In a large bowl, combine flour with remaining seasonings.
Coat chicken pieces in seasoned flour, pressing flour onto the chicken. Shake off excess and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Heat 3 cups of oil in a deep pot to 325–350°F.
Fry chicken in batches: about 12–15 minutes per side for larger pieces, 8–10 minutes for smaller ones, until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. (I like my chicken fried hard, so leaving it in for a little longer won’t hurt 😉)
Drain on a wire rack or paper towels. Serve hot.

Note: You will know the chicken is done once it starts to float on top of the oil. I like to leave it in for an additional 2-3 minutes at this point to ensure doneness.

The Bottom Line

Extra virgin olive oil isn’t just for salads and drizzling. It’s a versatile cooking oil that performs beautifully under heat — even for classic comfort foods like Southern fried chicken.

So if you’ve been avoiding frying with olive oil because of something you heard on the internet, it may be time to rethink that.

As Chef Dorian would say: Try it yourself — and taste the difference.